Car-unloading apparatus



P. W. HOLSTEIN. CAR UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APrucAnon man :une la. 1919.

P. W. HOLSTEIN.

CAR UNLOADING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED IuNE 1s, 1919.

'IA-m69.

Patented. Apr. i8, 1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

P. w. HOLSTEIN. CAR UNLOADLNG APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 13.i919.

Patented Apr. E8, E922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- A will! STATES PAUL W. HOLSTEIN, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

CAR-UNLOADNG APPARATUS.

Application filed .Tune y13, 1919. Serial' No. 303,938.

To all w lio/mi may concern.' f

Be it known that PAUL lV. HOLSTEIN, a citizen ot the United States,residing at Columbus, in` the county ot Franklin and State ot Ohio, hasinvented certain new and useful Improvement-s in Car-UnloadingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in car unloading apparatus, andthe primary object ot the invention resides in the provision ot a loadcarrying car having a pivoted bottom upon which transporting wheels aremounted, and to provide a trackwayin combination with said car which isprovided with a depressed portion, whereby when the car proper travelsover said depressed portion, said bottom will be caused to assume anopen position in orderthat the contents ot the car may be discharged,means ot a permanentcharacter being ernployed in conjunction with thedepressed portion ot said trackway to retain the wall structure of saidcar in a supported position, and on the main plane ot the trackway,during the period ot travel ot said car over the depressed portion ot'said trackway.

A further object. ot the invention is to provide a car structure whereinthe transport wheels are attached to the car bot-tom and to connect thewall structure of said car in pivotal relation with said bottom so thatthe same be normally supported thereon, and by means of this structureto secure simplicity in operation, together with rigidity otconstruction and absolute safety from premature dumping duringtransportation. In former devices, the car walls and transport wheelsacted as a supporting structure for the pivoted bottom, which was hingedto the walls beneath the wheel axles, and held up by latching or lockingdevices,Y which were automatically tripped as the car passed over theunloading point. ln this previous structure, commonly known as the Orddump car, the main track rail extended across the mouth oit al loadreceiving hopper. and an auxiliary track was provided which dipped downover the hopper and on which`v during dumping period, ran 'the smallwheels att-ached to trie carbottoni. rllhese wheels served to gage theopening between the bottom and the wall structure and supported saidbottom when the lattery assumed an unloading position, and also acted toreturn the bottom to a closed and latched position for the next loadingoperation.

The present invention aims to essentially improve this prior structureby eliminatingl the latching or locking devices and provides acorrelation of elements which serves to render the action of theapparatus forming the subject matter of the present invention positiveand reliable, and wherein the` car bottom is only capable of assuming anunlocked position when the car proper is situated above an appropriateunloading point.

A still furtherv object of the invention re sides in the provision ofa'guide or chutelike structure between the walls ot the car body and thepivoted bottom thereof, said structure serving to guide said bottomduring its opening and closing movements and to insure proper registrybetween parts.

Other objects and improvements will appear and be described hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of the car unloading apparatus comprisingthe present invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation ot the dump car employed in theapparatus and showing the pivotal connection between the bottom of thecar body and the load ietaining walls thereof,

Figure 3 is a plan View of said` car and disclosing the dra-ttconnections between said car and an adjoining car, the end walls of oneot the car bodies being broken away to disclose underlying structure,

Figure 4L is an end eleva-tion and dis.-A

closing more particularly the stationary runway tor supporting the wallsof said car body during the discharge period, and

`Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view ot the adjoining portions oftwo cars, the plane ot the section being indicated by the line w-m ofFigure 3.

Referring more particularly to the struc-` tural details ot my improvedcar unloading apparatus, I employ a plurality kot dumping cars, in eachot which the transport wheel truck is unitarily designated by thenumeral l. This truck is preterably oi the usual tour wheel typeemployed in connection with mine or other types of dumping cars.

The transport wheels lEL are, as shown, ot relatively small diameter andare mounted on" axles lb, the latter being suitably jour naled inbearing boXes 1c, which are secured to the truck frame angle bars 1dan.dthese angle bars are suitably attached to the car bottom sills 2a. Apair of braces 1-e have their bent ends secured, as by riveting, to theangle bars 1d, and serve to stiffenrthe truck frame and preserve thealignment vof the wheels 1a. The truck frameanglebars 1d andthe braces1e also reinforce and cross-brace prefer-ably pivot'ed or: hinged to thewall structure 3i' off' the car bodyrby means-of:

strapvhinges- 4t', which are riveted or .other-v wiseerigidly secured-tothe sills 2, andatthev outer endsencircle' a pivot shaft 5 which ismountedl across: the lowervfront end of the car by meansof"strapbrackets,the latter being riveted'tovthefronti wall' 7. ofthe.wall structure S and;` serve` asbraces therefor. At their upper endslthe brackets- 6 arel attached tok an angle bar 8, which extendstransversely acrosstheupper portion of the wall 7. The bottom 2 ispreferably built of heavy'timbers and extends beyond the ends offtliewall structure 3, and is provided with steel ,platel bumpers 9`-mountedy thereon at each end;

The timbers 10 reinforce the bumpers 9 and the bottom- 2V and, moreover,there are cross sills 151 which further actto stiffenthe bottom 2;The-walll structure 3 is of sheet steel, andits outer sidesBf-L arehopper shapedl embraced by means 'of the angle bars 8 at each end;thereof",` an :l1 also, by thev bars 12 riveted' alongftheir upperedges. Cornerv braces 13 serve to reinforce these frame bars 12andthelatter serve during Vthe discharge period to' support the wallstructurey 3 by means of anti-frictionrunway rollers 121-, the mounting'of which willi behereinafter set forth. r1`he numeral 15 indicates theloweror draftframeof' the car body'and to which the sides 3 are riveted.rilhisV frame member at its forwardf end' encircles the Divot shaft 5andf'at its lrear endy a draft` chain. 16' isl pinned or otherwise.secured thereto. The wall structure is laterally braced toY hold itsshape by. means of an` .angle-*cross bar, 17' placed midway of the thepurpose of assisting` properly to reassembleand cause to register thewall structure 3 and the bottoin2-by firmly reuniting these Aelements.afterv the discharge of the car Acon` tents and during the loading andtransportation period. The pockets 19 are secured to the sills 2a of thebottom 2. A coupling clev-is` 2O,` pivoted on the pivot shaft 5 by meansof a pin 21, engagesa link 22, which link is connected to the draftchain 1.6, thus facilitating the coupling of twol adjacent cars. v

lThe bottom sills 2a at noftime fully disi engage from the frame-15 ofthe wall strue-V ture 3, the upper leg of: the sillalwayszhaw ing aportion intermeshingf therewith, andI by this means, and by reason ofthe ,assembly ofthe stakes 18 in thefstalrepockets-19,@-

gether with the-pivotal; connection beween Y wardv iiange of, the bars12 and thusV servey Y to `directly support and toeffect the transferthereover of thewallstructure 3 during 'the dumping operation. Therunways 23 vengage theV wall structure just in advance of: the beginningof the unloading `operation andi continue to support `and convey 'thewall structure-until the depressed portion 25 ofl the main track-wayover which. they cars-v operate again returns-the bottom2 Vto normal'.`supporting and'loading positions.Y Itwill be observed thatthe-unloading` curve, shown inf dotted lines in Figure 1 is a verygradual, and easy one, the car contentsthusbeing, as-` sured of; verygentle unloading. so-as to pre7A vent breaking upof coal or otherVfrangible. material while beingvdelivered into ahopper 26 orotherlsuitablereceptacle positioned be` neath the depressed por-tion25 ofthetrack` way. Y

1n view of the :foregoing deseriptiom. it. will be apparent to thoseversed inthe art t the apparatus comprisingl the presentv fentionparticularly adaptable in rits utilitarian accomplishment of quickly.and'. positively effet-ting the discharge ei" material. from cars orother suitable carriers. The. arrangementfA is such as to permit a trainofV Cars tofberapidly'drawn across discharge. point and to'have thecontents of said. cars ful-ly and completely `discharged. withoutvstoppinfy the train to empty each individuall car. The constructionthus tends to eliminate the use of cartilting or other similardischarging apparatus now in general serviceV and to effect aconsiderable increase in production ot mine tipples. Furthermore,through the provision ot the mechanism described all latches or lockingdevices between the car bottom and the associated wall structures areeliminated thus tending to eliminate premature discharging of the 'carcontents by accidental operations or' the trip or latch mechanismsthereof. rlhe car itself is exceptionallyv staunch in construction, andis fully capable of withstanding load stresses,

without subjecting its parts to distorting strains or bending pressures.rEhe rollers 14 are located in longitudinally spaced relationship andare so positioned that a plurality of the same will be constantly inengagement with the members 12 during the passage ot the wall structureof said cars across the runways.

What l claim is:

1. ln a car unloading apparatus, a car comprising a bottom mounted ontransport wheels, a wall structure normally supported on said bottom `ina loadable position, a pivotal connection between said car bottom andsaid wall structure, a railway track over which said car operates, adepressed section .termed as a continuation of said track whereby saidcar bottom is caused to assume an unloading position and to return to anormal loadable position after said car passes thereover, and meansindependent of said car track whereby the wall structure ot said car issupported duringthe unloading operation.

2. ln a car unloading apparatus, a car comprising a body composed of acar bottom mounted on transport wheels and a wall structure normallypositioned on said bottom and transported thereby, means operating topermit of relative separation between said bottom and wall structureduring the discharge ot the contents of said car, and means other thansaid car bottom to transportably support said wall structure during thedischarge period.

5%. ln a car unloading apparatus, a car comprising` a body composed of abottom mounted on transport wheels and a wall struct-ure normallypositioned on said bottom. a pivotal connection between said' bottom andsaid wall structure to permit of the discharge of the car contents, amain track for said car having a depressed portion formed thereinconstructed Ato allow said pivotal connection to effect the discharge otthe car contents and the return of said bottom and said wall structureto normal loadable positions, and means to convey and support said wallstructure during the discharge period, said wall structure beingdisposed to convey-and partially support said car bottom during theperiod of discharge.

car wheels connected with said bottom, a

cartraclr having a depressed portion, a pivotal connection between saidwall structure and' said bottom to effect unloading of the car contentsduring the passage of said car over the depressed portion of said track,means independent of said track to sustain said wall structure intransportable positions during the unloading operation, and said carbottom being conveyed and partially supported by its pivotal connectionwith said wall structure and also partially suppoted by the car wheelson said track during the unloading operation.

5. ln a card unloading apparatus, a track section to permit unloauingoit a discharge car, a discharge car movable over said section having abottom and associated load retaining walls, said car being adapted toautomatically unload its contents while passing over said track section,a runway disposed on opposite sides of said track sections and servingto transport the wall structure lot said car during the unloadingoperation whereby said wall structure is sustained on substantially thesame horizontal plane with other connecting cars.

6. in a car unloading apparatus, a discharge car composed of a carbottom having transport wheels connected therewith, load retaining wallspivotally connected to and normally supported on said car bottom, saidbottom and said walls having intermeshing portions at their pivotal endswhich at all times engage each other to secure proper reunion orreplacement ot said walls on said car bottom subsequent to the dischargeoperation.

7. ln car miloading` apparatus, a car track section adapted to causeautomatic unloading oit a discharge car, a discharge car composedessentially of two members, one member forming the car bottom and beingsupported on transport wheels, the other member forming the loadretaining wall structure and being normally supported on iio said carbottoni, means to aermit unloadino ablyv supported on transport wheels,the.

other member forming load retaining walls structureto support the latterin operative train position during` the discharge period.

9.: n a car unloading apparatus, a car inclnclingy loacl,retainingYwalls, a wheeled` car bottom, a pivotal. connection between said wallsandgbo'ttom forV permitting of theclischarge of the car contents, andmeans actl ing, subsequently to the discharge of the contents forsecurely reuniting said walls and bottomin loaclable relationship,"corn-V prising ar chute likeconstruetion of said loottom, which`facilitates Yunloading and acts scissors likevin the process of reunitytoas-V sureproper registrationY between said walls anclbottorn.

In testimony whereof I aIiX' signature. i

PAUL 7. HOLSTElN.

